Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-14
CUPID IN THE MAILS.
The Day That Lovers Pay Homage
to Their Patron Saint.

to Their Patron SAINT
To-day is Valentines day.
A group of letter-carriers was stand
ing in front of the post Office last night.
The clerks inside were busy overhauling
piles Of letters on the mailing tables and
sorting them out ready for the morning
delivery.
IL reckon we'll catch it tomorrow"
said one of the carriers. 1--WE always do
on Valentines day. It's jes bout as
bad as Christmas week, only it don't last
so long. 1t amt so bad, though, as it
used TO be. People seems to be getting
better sense than go tooling with that
sort of trash. Most valentines now Is
sent by young boys and girls. 'TwoDt
be long fore they'll get sick ONT, and
sooner the better"
The time-honored custom OF sending
anonymous love missives on st. Nalen-
tines day has for many years been dying
out. There are still enough people,
though, who cling to the custom to make
the valentine season profitable one TO
statiOners. 1t is not alone the love mis-
sive that finds Its way through the piles
of letters and stacks OF mail pouches that
make the lives of the post office officials a
burden on this day, but the so-calied
comic valentine, with Its hideous colored
caricatures, makes up good part OF the
burden.
The stationers' counters for the past
week have been piled up with pretty love
designs and the ugly-faced penny sheets.
The windows have been full OF them, and
thousands have been sold. The chances
are that somebody will get them to-day.
The stationers say that the sale this year
mas not been so large as in former years.
St. Valentine Is said to have lived over
1900 years ago. He was sanity and
charitable man, and to perpetuate his
memory the custom Of sending valentines
was established, and Feb. Ii was the day
set apart. Other people, VINO are not re-
ligious, but very good people withal, think
there is no ST. Valentine about it, but they
have still to explain why else the day
is called after the great and holy man.
Another theory originates from the story
that the nice little birds get lonesome
about spring-time In their single blessed
ness, and would, in spite of their feathered
parents, go and get married. And people,
who take many habits from the animal
kingdom. went and did likewise, for most
people were not Christians in those days.
Other people, who are of a cynical turn,
say that monkeys always mate about
Feb. II. This. however, has been met by
the wise of many generations who scout
the idea that such is the case. Those
who are inclined to be silly say geese
mate in February, and therefore they do
likewise.
All these theories be as they may, folks
OF all civilized countries picked out day
to be particularly loving toward one
another decades OF years further back
than the teens of the centuries. Little
parties of young men and women, with
their fathers and mothers -if they could
not keep them away used to get together
in party with malice aforethought to
have very loyable time. Among other
things that occurred was the custom of
putting the names of the fair ones in a
box, which was struggled for the Occa.
sion by some gallant. A blithe young
bachelor would select a billet and go
smiling away with his valentine.
Another custom, some old-fashioned
writer has chronicled, was that both the
bachelors and the maids dropped their
names wrapped in pretty paper together
in the box for eacHt pick therefrom. The
same crusty chronicler has failed to in
form posterity how such an arrangement
would bring about anything but free
hand fstio come-together. Valentine day
is sufferer from evolution, and so in the
course OF time, instead of the daring indi-
vidual coming TO his fair maids window
In the cloudy morn, and the ballot box
system before mentioned, in our own day
OF go-aheadism, the practical young man
sends his note or valentine by mail, and
very pretty things some of them are be-
side the cum bersome boxes OF old times.
1t Is safe to assert that the letter-car-
rier despises st. Valentines day. But
statiOners like it, and so do the young
people. The pOstmen don't.